Amortentia
by isitreallyevenpossible
Summary: Lily smelt Lysander. Lysander smelt Lily. And only one of them was aware of it.


_**A/N:**_**This is my take on the classic Amortentia fic that every couple should have. Maybe a slightly different take on it but still the same old trope. But I just love Lily/Lysander together they're so cute so I hope you enjoy this little one shot.**

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**Amortentia**

There was no much to be said for potions in Lily Potter's opinion. However there wasn't really much to be said about most subjects in Lily Potter's opinion and in fact potions was one of the classes she had a natural affinity for. But what she didn't have was a natural affinity for paying attention.

Which was why, in that fateful lesson, she was doing her level best not to listen to what was probably one of the most exciting and fascinating potions class they were going to have that year. Though that didn't necessarily mean it was that exciting or fascinating to her. Or not at that particularly moment it wasn't.

Lysander, who was sat next to her, could just see her black muggle-style notebook balanced precariously on her legs and her quill scratching along the pages. He would've bet a hundred galleons that she was writing some poetry or something rather than paying attention. He knew this meant she'd probably have to copy off his notes for this lesson. Not that he was really doing all that much better than she was in listening as he was too busy pretending to be concerned about her work ethic to bother with his own. However at least he _looked _a bit more like he was paying attention.

It was just Slughorn had such a way of going on and on especially when he was excited about something which he most certainly was about the particularly potion they were studying.

"Do you see that very distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen this batch has?" He boomed, beaming at the students which ranged from giggly and excitable to falling asleep. "Can anyone tell me what it is?"

"Lily perhaps?" He said, turning his sparkling eyes on his favourite student not knowing that she wasn't listening at all. Though he could probably have forgiven Lily anything he was so fond of her. It wasn't like she was a particularly exceptional student, all though she couldn't help doing well she had inherited some of her grandmother's talents, it was the fact that she was descendent from both Harry Potter and Lily Evans. One a worldwide celebrity and the other Slughorn's favourite ever student.

This meant Lily took a little advantage of the older man's harmless like for her and took every opportunity to flirt with him just a little. She was kind to him and quite cheeky and he liked that and gave her good marks. Generous marks but it wasn't like she wasn't good at the subject.

"Hmm." She said distractedly, looking up from her half-finished work and giving her best smile to her teacher.

"Ah diligently making notes?" He chuckled, "I was just asking what that potion in front of your desk is?"

She gave a quick glance towards the cauldron in front of her and made note of the main features of the potion. She may not have been paying attention to his particularly chatter but she knew that potion when she saw it. It was well known enough through the school and people both dreaded and loved the lesson on it. Loved it because you got to understand what you smelt when you smelt it and dreaded because it was a notoriously hard potion to make.

"It's Amortentia." She said lazily, "The most powerful love potion there is."

"Right again!" He exclaimed and she gave a little grin back but as soon as he turned away she was back scribbling into her little book.

Lysander rolled his eyes and she looked up long enough from her work to give him a little playful wink.

"And what are some features of this potion in particular?"

Various people shouted out and one normally timid girl put her hand up.

"Yes, Annie?" Slughorn said.

"It's meant to smell like the things that most attract you Professor."

"Yes it is indeed." He gave a little chuckle again. "Does anyone want to tell me what it smells like to them?"

Most people took a large sniff of the potion in front of their desks and a lot of the class suddenly tried to quench the flames that erupted in their cheeks. Lysander for one was trying to maintain a sense of cool as he gripped the desk.

He was sure he recognised some of those scents from a certain someone and that just couldn't be right. To him it had smelt like cinnamon, pine trees and one particularly scent that was too familiar for him to feel altogether comfortable. He had to take another sniff closer to the cauldron just in case he was wrong but there was not denying it. He thought it must just have been because he was sat next to her that he could smell it. But nope there it was rising off the potion in spirals: the scent of Lily Potter.

Damn it. That wasn't good.

Some people shouted out what they smelt: strawberries and peppermint and grass and books and chocolate and lemon and soap and coconut. Others shuck their heads giggling and laughing and blushing. Too embarrassed to answer the question.

"What about you Lily?" Slughorn said affectionately, turning back to his favourite redhead. "What do you smell?"

"Oh." She sniffed at the potion. "I smell rainfall or you know that smell the day after it rains, wood burning and…"

She paused for a moment to give an exaggerated sniff with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Sandalwood."

"Very nice." Slughorn replied, gave her a wink, and then went back to addressing the entire class.

Lysander however reacted very differently. He was brought out of the half amused half exasperated state he was in whenever Lily and Slughorn interacted when she said told them the last scent she smelt. He remembered a time not long ago when Lily had last referenced it and his heart did a weird little clenching thing as he tried to remember what had happened and if he was imagining it or not.

They'd been at his house during the Christmas holidays in that half-awake half-asleep state lying on his bed curled around each other. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and she nuzzled deeper into him as if a little shiver had ran through her. His arm was casually draped over her and he chuckled at her.

"Mmm you smell nice." She'd breathed sleepily against him.

"Oh yeah?" He'd replied lazily, struggling to look down at her properly from his position. "And what is it that I smell like?"

"Hmm." She snuggled closer, if that was possible, eliciting another little laugh out of Lysander. "Like Sandalwood and nature and that. Like when there's been a storm and you go outside and it's all fresh and sweet. You just smell nice."

"Okay then." He laughed, as he heard her voice getting smaller and smaller and her breath get steadier and steadier. "You smell pretty good too."

She had made a little muffled noise as she drifted off before she was under and away in dreamland.

Back in the potions glass Lysander had taken a little gulp and looked sideways along at Lily but she was unaffected by what was clearly, to Lysander at least, a big deal. But she was just the same as always off in a different world where all that mattered was the scratch of the quill on the page.

"Lils?" He asked, trying to act as casual as he possibly could. "Was that what you actually smelt in the potion?"

"Oh? What? Oh yeah yeah it was." She said, her casualness didn't sound forced at all. "What did you smell?"

"Oh you know," He said, not sure if he wanted her to recognise herself in the list of scents or not. "Cinnamon, pine trees and the sea."

He waited but she just smiled at him and looked down at her lap. He breathed a sigh and he wasn't entirely sure if it was of relief or of disappointment.

Because Lily smelt Lysander. Lysander smelt Lily. And only one of them was aware of it.

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_**A/N:**_**I really hope you liked it! If you did a review would make me happier than you even know honestly and if not that maybe a favourite? Follow me as an author if you like Lily/Lysander and be sure to check out my 3 other Lily/Lysander fics and my other fics. Thank you so much for reading I love you just for reading it.**


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